Just a Dance
by Pureblood-Slytherins
Summary: An Alderaanian state-ball leads to a special dance. Thrawn x Leia.


**Just a Dance**

The ballroom of the Alderaanian Palace was huge and lavishly decorated in the colours of the Royal House of Alderaan; with large banners hanging down from the high walls. There were long banquet tables, filled with exotic food and huge paintings of historic battles adorned three of the four walls. In one corner, there was a large orchestra playing slow, gentle music, and several guards in red and golden uniforms were positioned in front of every door. There were large crystal chandeliers hanging down from painted ceilings and there were servants everywhere, carrying trays of champagne from guest to guest and in front of the fourth wall there was a slightly raised platform for the Royal Family: Queen Breha Organa, whose birthday they were celebrating today, her husband and viceroy Bail Organa and their young daughter…. Princess Leia.

Her dress was made out of white velvet; its ruff fanned out behind her head like the frame of a painting, but no painting could be as radiant and beautiful as Princess Leia Organa was in this moment. She was not very tall, still there was no questioning her position. The way she held herself, the way her eyes floated over the masses, with a polite, but distant smile on her face. She had done this countless of times and yet she did not count quite eighteen years of age. And maybe it was her age, her innocence that made her even more attractive tonight. Her thick, dark-brown hair was done up in a complicated bun and while many people claimed that her real beauty lay in her mind, for a man it was hard to overlook the obstinate red lips and the long, dark lashes, framing her deep, dark eyes. Yes, Princess Leia of Alderaan was quite something.

Their eyes met. Interesting.

Leia looked at the crowd while taking a sip of champagne. Then her eyes were caught by someone else's. She had heard about him, of course. Grand Admiral Thrawn…. Having the Empire here was a nuisance at best. The Seventh Fleet had used one of their spaceports for repair and not inviting them might have given the wrong impression, so they didn't really have a choice in the matter.

He was an interesting man. Thrawn. One of Palpatine's thirteen Grand Admirals. Usually, he operated further away from the Core, but his mission on Lothal had made him a household name even on Alderaan. Yet, there was one thing she had been blissfully unaware of before tonight: Grand Admiral Thrawn was an attractive man. A very attractive man. He was tall, had a strong jawline and sharp, high cheekbones, and broad shoulders. He was well-built and his piercing red eyes seemed to penetrate right through her. Besides, there was this kind of distant authority that many men in high places carried with them. It suited him very well…. Not that it made a difference, of course. Everything she had heard about his missions had been appalling. He was a killer if she were to believe her father's informants and a cold man: Distant and calculating, but very effective, taking out his opponents one after the other. His biography, however, was fascinating, as was the fact that he was a non-human. No other alien within the military had managed to climb so high. She had to admit that she was curious. There was something about him.

Using the excuse to get some food, Leia left her parents and made her way towards the Imperial delegation. Two of the Royal Guards followed her in close proximity.

"Princess Leia." He greeted in a slow, dark, velvet voice, before he brought her hand to his mouth. "It is an honour to meet you."

She gave him a warm smile. "Likewise, Grand Admiral."

There was something in his voice…. His basic was flawless and she wouldn't really call it an accent, but there was something deep in the way he pronounced the words. She had never heard anyone talk with such a voice. It was…fascinating.

"How you do you like Alderaan?"

"Dangerous question." He brought the glass of champagne to his mouth and smiled at her over its edge. The answer took her a little off guard.

"Please excuse my openness. You are used to politicians and diplomats, but I fail to see the advantage of hiding behind nice words. Alderaan has a difficult relationship with the Empire, but I…. enjoy being here. It allows me a valuable inside of Alderaan's culture and High Society."

"You study us." It wasn't a question. She had seen how precisely his eyes had followed each and everything in the room. Nothing escaped him. And there was no need for an excuse as everything he said, was on purpose.

"A crude way of saying it, albeit true."

Leia bit on her lower lip and looked up into his red eyes again.

"And have your observations been helpful so far?"

"I would say so."

There was a short pause and Leia felt her pulse rising. What was is about him… Why was she even here? As he had just said, Alderaan had a difficult relationship with the Empire, and therefore she shouldn't spend too much time in his company. Then, somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard her mother's speech end. Applause filled the hall. Mindlessly she joined in.

"Would you care to dance with me?" Leia nearly tripped.

"What?"

"The Queen just opened the ball and I happen to stand next to her daughter," he explained matter-of-factly. "I guess one could say it is expected."

"It is, but…" Leia said, then stopped herself right in time, smiling sweetly. "Of course, you are right. Lead the way, then."

Thrawn offered his arm and then they stepped out onto the dance floor. It was a standard waltz and Leia quickly realized that Thrawn seemed to approach dancing with the same precision that he showed on the battlefield or while observing people. As Princess, she had had dancing lessons from an early age and considered herself a fair if not good dancer, yet the fact that he was watching her like a predator its prey, made it almost impossible to focus.

"Sorry..." she mumbled as she fell out of step for the second time. "…I don't know what's wrong with me today."

That, of course, wasn't entirely true. She knew why – It was him. She shouldn't dance with him. She was the Crown Princess of Alderaan, and soon to be Senator of Alderaan and opening the state-ball in honor of her mother, the Queen, with a Grand Admiral of the Galactic Empire gave a certain message. A totally false message. But "no" had not really been an option.

"You are nervous and unfocused." He said flatly. "It is just a dance, Princess. There is no reason for concern."

Leia looked up and his small, reassuring smile gave her confidence. Maybe he was right, it was just a dance. Nothing to worry about. She would explain it to her parents afterwards and then the whole thing would soon be forgotten.

Soon they found their rhythm.

"Where did you learn to dance?" Leia asked, in an attempt to break the silence.

"There are similar social gatherings where I come from. The rest was simple observation and practice."

"I see." Leia nodded. It had been a stupid question, really. Just to think that he wouldn't know how to dance because he was – what? An alien? A soldier?

Becoming more comfortable with the movements, Leia stopped focusing on her feet and decided to look up into her partner's face. Bad idea. The nervousness returned straightaway and she tripped once more, crushing into his strong chest. His hand moved across her bare back, down to her waist, before pushing her back into position. Leia felt herself blushing.

"Sorry. I'm not good that this."

"The way your body moves indicates otherwise." He slowed down a little and Leia felt his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Relax."

Leia swallowed and her body was turning to jelly. This proximity was right on the edge of the permissible. She felt his heat through the fabric of her dress and her heart was racing.

_It's just a dance… Relax… And don't look at him…. Just let him lead you…_

It seemed to work and soon Leia noticed that Thrawn had increased their pace and the complexity of their steps. This was getting good and with each step, his confidence seemed to wear off on her. It was getting easier and better by the second and at the end he spun her around and pulled her back to him in one swift movement, bringing her right into his arms.

Leia smiled and blushed at the same time. Then, quickly, she took a step back.

"That was… good."

"I never doubted it for a moment, Princess." He brought her hand to his lips again and Leia felt a sudden rush of warmth enveloping her.

"Thank you for the dance."

"My pleasure." Suddenly, the usually empty phrase burned like fire in her mouth. Yes, it had been her pleasure…She had to be a lot more careful with him….

Wordlessly, he held his arm out for her to take, before leading her back to society.

TBC?

**A/N:** I just felt the need to write a little scene and this is the product. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I should go on or just leave it as a standalone. What do you think?


End file.
